SCOTT SKILES

Orlando has struggled. The Magic have lost 8 games in a row and 12 of their last 13. Coach Skiles is not hiding:

“Ultimately, it comes from me. I’m the leader and the last five weeks I’ve failed to get my points across, obviously. The points being that we’ve got to pay the price, we’ve got to play harder, we’ve got to be more organized, we’ve got to play at a faster pace like we were when we were playing well. Those are problems that I’ve got to solve.’’

“This is my responsibility to get these guys to understand what it takes to consistently win in the NBA. I haven’t gotten that done in the last five weeks. For whatever reason, it hasn’t happened. So I’ve got to find a way to get that done.’’

“We’re not going to back off the message. We’re going to stay with it. I made no secret of it, and I’ve said it multiple times to the players and to (the media) – and I realized that I was going out on a limb – that I thought there was a winning team in that locker room this year. So my belief doesn’t change. But at some point I’ve failed to get my points across because our play has dropped off significantly. Guys have to pick themselves up and play better.’’